PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa has called upon Tanzanians to conserve forest resources because they are of great benefit to the country and the world at large.
The Premier issued the call on Monday while addressing Kagunga villagers in Tanganyika District, where he also presented two dummy cheques worth 427.6m/- to the villagers for thickening forests to reduce carbon emissions.
The funds have been paid by Carbon Tanzania to residents of four villages in the district.
Carbon trade is the process of buying and selling of credits that permit a company or other entity to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gasses. The carbon credits and the carbon trade are authorised by governments with the goal of gradually reducing overall carbon emissions and mitigating their contribution to climate change.
"We should conserve our forests so that we can get enough rain which will allow us to cultivate various crops, and use the ongoing rains to cultivate crops," he said.
The Premier said President Samia Suluhu Hassan has on different occasions insisted on the importance of conserving forest resources in the country, and insisted that it is the responsibility of everyone to pay attention to it. Mr Majaliwa directed relevant authorities in the country to continue setting up strategies for educating citizens on environmental conservation.
In a related development, the PM directed all councils in the country with carbon trade projects to make follow up of agreements entered between the companies and villagers for the selling of credits.
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"We are supposed to know what is contained in the contracts and our legal officers should make follow-ups," he said while urging the villagers to use the money obtained from the carbon trade for their benefits.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has directed Katavi Regional Referral Hospital Medical Officer Dr Patrice Serafin to make sure that the facility becomes operational by January 1, next year.
He issued the instructions yesterday after inspecting the progress of the hospital project which is expected to cost 12.4bn/- upon completion.
The PM also instructed Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) Manager for Katavi Region to make sure that the hospital is supplied with electricity by December 23, this year.
